Comparing us with Alabama so far this year...

[uconnflyer88]

Alright, besides the fact that they're 4 - 0 and the number team in the country, one statistic jumps out at me as interesting:

A.J. McCarron: 51 for 81 for 819 yards, 63% completion....but 10 TDs.......0 INTs

Chandler Whitmer: 68 for 112 for 824 yards, 60.7% completion....3 TDS.....6 INTs

Now before everyone jumps down my throat, I am NOT saying that UConn is even close to Alabama in any respect....(everyone take a deep breath)

The reason I post this is because it shows that you can win football games without passing every single down like some people on this board want our offense to do. Now I realize that our rushing has not been the best this year and there is room for a TON of improvement, but this is proof that rushing more than passing mixed with a shutdown defense (with little turnovers of course) can win football games

 

[Chin Diesel]

Alabama would be 4-0 if McCarron had passed for zero yards.

They're offensive line does whatever it wants against any defensive formation.

that's the reason they're 4-0.

 

[whaler11]

Uh they don't throw it because they are up by 40 and are running out the clock. I don't care if UConn throws it or runs it as long as they move the damn ball.

 

[VAHuskyFan]

Alabama RBs:
T.J. Yeldon - 6'2, 216 lbs
Eddie Lacy - 6'1, 220 lbs

Connecticut RB:
Lyle McCombs - 5'8, 166 lbs

This is why a some of us have a problem with a ground-and-pound offensive scheme.

 

[UConnDan97]

Alabama RBs:
T.J. Yeldon - 6'2, 216 lbs
Eddie Lacy - 6'1, 220 lbs

Connecticut RB:
Lyle McCombs - 5'8, 166 lbs

This is why a some of us have a problem with a ground-and-pound offensive scheme.

That's not necessarily true. UConn has ALWAYS been a successful running team, and for the most part, we have had small (or at least light) running backs, especially early in their careers. These are the numbers off of the UConn Huskies athletics site (all under 185 lbs):

Cornell Brockington - 6'0" 181 lbs
Terry Caulley - 5'7" 183 lbs
Larry Taylor - 5'6" 157 lbs
Andre Dixon - 6'0" 185
Jordan Todman - 5'9" 180

A couple of those players were able to put a little more weight on their frames as their careers went on, but for the most part we had some great running with smaller guys (Donald Brown was the 200 lb exception). I have absolutely no problem whatsoever in a North-South running scheme with Lyle McCombs, especially if he is going to average over 5 yards per carry like he did last game. Do I expect that we have Silas Redd or T.J. Yeldon here at UConn? No, but that doesn't mean that we should shy away from something that we have been successful at for more than a decade...

 

[uconnflyer88]

Alabama would be 4-0 if McCarron had passed for zero yards.

That's kinda my point that a hefty run game still wins football games

I was just bored and looking up stats just to compare how Chandler was doing this year, I was interested to see where he compares with the rest of the field of college football

Maybe it is a sign of me breaking......Saturday can't come fast enough

 

[lavuuk153]

Comparing our football team to Alabama's football team is worse than comparing Alabama's basketball team to our basketball team...

 

[rw005]

You are kidding right?

 

[Husky68]

That's not necessarily true. UConn has ALWAYS been a successful running team, and for the most part, we have had small (or at least light) running backs, especially early in their careers. These are the numbers off of the UConn Huskies athletics site (all under 185 lbs):

Cornell Brockington - 6'0" 181 lbs
Terry Caulley - 5'7" 183 lbs
Larry Taylor - 5'6" 157 lbs
Andre Dixon - 6'0" 185
Jordan Todman - 5'9" 180

A couple of those players were able to put a little more weight on their frames as their careers went on, but for the most part we had some great running with smaller guys (Donald Brown was the 200 lb exception). I have absolutely no problem whatsoever in a North-South running scheme with Lyle McCombs, especially if he is going to average over 5 yards per carry like he did last game. Do I expect that we have Silas Redd or T.J. Yeldon here at UConn? No, but that doesn't mean that we should shy away from something that we have been successful at for more than a decade...

Early in these guys careers they didn't get the touches that LM is getting over backs 20 to 50 lbs heavier. Andre was 202 his senior year. LM's career to date has shown 5 ypc is the outlier game on the good side. His career average is more like 4. Saw Brockington listed 5'11 and 190 in 2003. Todman was 5'9' 189 his year he split with Dixon and 193 the year he was the horse.

Caulley at 183 is a lot different than LM at 166, as for power they are not in the same class of running back.

 

[pj]

If we had a strong offensive line and the running game could succeed on its own, we could use the running game to open the passing game. As it is the passing game has better chances to get us downfield, and there won't be an effective running game unless the passing game can prevent the opponent from stacking the box. So we absolutely need to develop a downfield passing attack.

Whether we will, we'll see, but we do need it.

 

[ZooCougar]

Alright, besides the fact that they're 4 - 0 and the number team in the country, one statistic jumps out at me as interesting:

A.J. McCarron: 51 for 81 for 819 yards, 63% completion....but 10 TDs.......0 INTs

Chandler Whitmer: 68 for 112 for 824 yards, 60.7% completion....3 TDS.....6 INTs

Now before everyone jumps down my throat, I am NOT saying that UConn is even close to Alabama in any respect....(everyone take a deep breath)

The reason I post this is because it shows that you can win football games without passing every single down like some people on this board want our offense to do. Now I realize that our rushing has not been the best this year and there is room for a TON of improvement, but this is proof that rushing more than passing mixed with a shutdown defense (with little turnovers of course) can win football games

I have a really good friend who lives in Hunstville who is a big Bama fan, he used to tell me that UConn under Edsall was alot like Alabama offensively and defensively.

The problem is, I think their defense is just so much better than ours. Our very best defensive players are on par or just below theirs, but the rest of them are just better than the rest of ours.

By and large, the SEC is a defense first league. Their best athletes tend to play that side of the ball. They can afford to win games with sound defense, good punting and ball control offense because their defenses are so elite. The other thing is, SEC teams engineer their teams to beat other SEC teams. There are not alot of "explosive" Oregon-like offenses in that conference. And usually, the team that makes the first mistake, is the one that loses.

 

[FrostyNuggets]

Ha. The premise of this thread reminds me of that dude in the 80s who was against the development of Buckland Hills and incessantly wrote the JI editorial page favorably comparing Red Rock Golf Course to Augusta National.

 

[JaYnYcE]

Alright, besides the fact that they're 4 - 0 and the number team in the country, one statistic jumps out at me as interesting:

A.J. McCarron: 51 for 81 for 819 yards, 63% completion....but 10 TDs.......0 INTs

Chandler Whitmer: 68 for 112 for 824 yards, 60.7% completion....3 TDS.....6 INTs

Now before everyone jumps down my throat, I am NOT saying that UConn is even close to Alabama in any respect....(everyone take a deep breath)

The reason I post this is because it shows that you can win football games without passing every single down like some people on this board want our offense to do. Now I realize that our rushing has not been the best this year and there is room for a TON of improvement, but this is proof that rushing more than passing mixed with a shutdown defense (with little turnovers of course) can win football games

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[CodyJ.]

you guys are all wrong and couldnt predict a rainstorm if a a raindrop hit you smack dab in the eye ball.

;-)
Alabama just has a huge corn fed OL. Hell, Ol' Frosty Nuggets here could pass or run for a bazillion yards if he/she had Andre the Giant, Sloth(goonies), and Jabba the Hut with legs blocking.
Oh wait, Sloth was my favorite DE of all time. Lyle Alzado. God rest his soul. That man was redonkulous. I dont give an if he ate steroids like jelly beans by the hand full either. They all did back then.

Hopefully our Blue Dogs get their Alzado on and get some berzerker rage going on. Last game they looked like a 5 year old girl picking dandelions on a soccer field.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Bama could probably give the Browns a decent test.

 

[Bootsthemonkey]

Comparing UConn to a program with 1. Rich history, 2. One of the best coaches in the country 3. An insanely fertile recruiting area 4. A following bordering on religious fanaticism is probably not going to make a very good point.

 

[Jerry27]

Comparing UConn to a program with 1. Rich history, 2. One of the best coaches in the country 3. An insanely fertile recruiting area 4. A following bordering on religious fanaticism is probably not going to make a very good point.

Good thing then that he's not comparing them! He's making a point about pass vs. run to win football games. Your assignment is to go back to the OP and read the part where he says he is NOT COMPARING UCONN TO ALABAMA, then come back like a good monkey and offer up your humblist apologies for not reading carefully the first time. Now run along little monkey.

Flyer, I get what you're saying but our O line is a major issue right now, as is the inability to get past first contact many times by the RB.

 

[huskyblooz]

Comparing UConn to a program with 1. Rich history, 2. One of the best coaches in the country 3. An insanely fertile recruiting area 4. A following bordering on religious fanaticism is probably not going to make a very good point.

Absloutely! I can't think of one thing we have in common with Alabama.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

That's not necessarily true. UConn has ALWAYS been a successful running team, and for the most part, we have had small (or at least light) running backs, especially early in their careers. These are the numbers off of the UConn Huskies athletics site (all under 185 lbs):

Cornell Brockington - 6'0" 181 lbs
Terry Caulley - 5'7" 183 lbs
Larry Taylor - 5'6" 157 lbs
Andre Dixon - 6'0" 185
Jordan Todman - 5'9" 180

A couple of those players were able to put a little more weight on their frames as their careers went on, but for the most part we had some great running with smaller guys (Donald Brown was the 200 lb exception). I have absolutely no problem whatsoever in a North-South running scheme with Lyle McCombs, especially if he is going to average over 5 yards per carry like he did last game. Do I expect that we have Silas Redd or T.J. Yeldon here at UConn? No, but that doesn't mean that we should shy away from something that we have been successful at for more than a decade...

Dont remember Larry Taylor as a featured back.
Brockington was over 200 as featured back who played behind Bellamy who was over 200 as a featured back
Dixon was over 200 as a featured back
Caulley and Todman played mostly in the mid 190's as featured backs
Shoemate was supposed to be a featured back at 218
Frye got his most carries when he was over 200

 

[TouchdownHusky]

Alright, besides the fact that they're 4 - 0 and the number team in the country, one statistic jumps out at me as interesting:

A.J. McCarron: 51 for 81 for 819 yards, 63% completion....but 10 TDs.......0 INTs

Chandler Whitmer: 68 for 112 for 824 yards, 60.7% completion....3 TDS.....6 INTs

Now before everyone jumps down my throat, I am NOT saying that UConn is even close to Alabama in any respect....(everyone take a deep breath)

The reason I post this is because it shows that you can win football games without passing every single down like some people on this board want our offense to do. Now I realize that our rushing has not been the best this year and there is room for a TON of improvement, but this is proof that rushing more than passing mixed with a shutdown defense (with little turnovers of course) can win football games

Agreed. You definitely can if you have the best athlete on the field at each position. Alabama usually does. Now for other programs, like UConn for instance, you need to find ways to "level the playing field" - to compensate for the fact that you don't "out athlete" them position by position. Enter the passing game. A good QB can change things much like a good pitching in baseball. An effective passing game gives opponents a better chance against a team than simply out personnels them. And as pointed out, Alabama is usually ahead in the second half and can't afford not to throw the ball.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Dont remember Larry Taylor as a featured back.
Brockington was over 200 as featured back who played behind Bellamy who was over 200 as a featured back
Dixon was over 200 as a featured back
Caulley and Todman played mostly in the mid 190's as featured backs
Shoemate was supposed to be a featured back at 218
Frye got his most carries when he was over 200

Lyle is a great football player, he's just a guy in sprint league body, playing 1-A ball at the TB position.

I suspect that if we had a bigger TB that we could rely on, as a featured back - and that means in understanding pass protections, and blocking - not running - in such case, P wouldn't hesitate to put said larger back, into the game as the featured TB. As is, a 165lb TB that can at least get in the way of a rushing defender on a passing down, is better than a 210 lb back that won't even be in the area.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Lyle is a great football player, he's just a guy in sprint league body, playing 1-A ball at the TB position.

I suspect that if we had a bigger TB that we could rely on, as a featured back - and that means in understanding pass protections, and blocking - not running - in such case, P wouldn't hesitate to put said larger back, into the game as the featured TB. As is, a 165lb TB that can at least get in the way of a rushing defender on a passing down, is better than a 210 lb back that won't even be in the area.

That's the logical conclusion to make. However, the possibility exists that P is holding this team back with a dumb decision not to split carries. Who knows? I for one would at least like to see Joe Williams or DeLorenzo get some carries. Not the majority of carries, but a handful.

McCombs - 20 carries
Williams/DeLorenzo - 10 carries

 

[whaler11]

That's the logical conclusion to make. However, the possibility exists that P is holding this team back with a dumb decision not to split carries. Who knows? I for one would at least like to see Joe Williams or DeLorenzo get some carries. Not the majority of carries, but a handful.

McCombs - 20 carries
Williams/DeLorenzo - 10 carries

I don't see how it's in McCombs interests to get every carry. By the end of season he'll be cooked.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I don't see how it's in McCombs interests to get every carry. By the end of season he'll be cooked.

I agree. I just don't know why the coaches are willing to waste a RS year and insert Samra into a couple of meaningless series against UMass but are unwilling to give a kid who has already played on specials a few carries to mix things up. Unless the kid is just incredibly bad I don't see all that much downside. The pro's outweigh the con's by a mile.

 

[willie99]

with all due respect, this is akin to somebody from PC comparing their basketball program to ours and saying they're somehow doing better than it appears because they have a free throw % just a notch below us